Leaving The Past Behind
by Rei Tel Aviv
Summary: One-shot. Set in the middle of Season 3. Ziva wonders if she would change how she lived her life in the past, if she was given the chance. A talk with Abby clears it right up!


**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS. Just my own imagination.

**Author's Note**: It's short. But I hope it's not horrible. Based about half-way through Season Three.

**&**

Ziva David. She supposed that by now her name should have meant something to her. But it didn't. When she sits at her desk, staring at her teammates in NCIS, she realizes how much of her past she truly does regret. That wasn't what really bothered her deep down though. The question that bothered her now was, if she had the chance, would she go back and do it all over again? Or would she leave things the way they were.

She really did have to think about it. What else could she do? She knew the others saw her as some kind of freak, some sort of alienistic killing machine. Alienistic.. she wondered, was that another word that if she said it out loud, Tony would simply correct her for her stupidity with the English language?

Ziva shook her head, and placed her hands over her face, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. She was exhausted, and when she got like that, she started thinking too much. She removed her hands and simply looked around. Everyone was gone. Tony, McGee, and even Gibbs.

Sighing, she opens her drawer while standing up, pulling her gun and badge out of it. She stares at the e-mail on her screen and smirks.

'_**ATTENTION**__: All agents, please remember before leaving, to shut off all electronic equipment. Saving money for the budget is a priority for us at the moment_.'

She grinned, "Well.. perhaps they will feel differently since I'm simply a Liason officer.." she muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Ohhh. Now that's a bad Ziva, leaving your equipment on, didn't you get the memo?"

Ziva chuckled and turned to see it was none other than Abby Sciuto. "I believe it mentioned that to all the.. ahem.. agents? I, for one, am not an agent. Therefore, I do not believe it applies to me."

Abby grinned. Ziva hadn't been around long, and she admitted, she hadn't liked her at first. But the Mossad agent was really growing on her. "Now see, I think the same thing. That's why everything in the lab is still on!"

The amusement on Ziva's features seemed to be enough to get Abby in a happy mood. "You are.. heading home, no?"

Abby nodded. "Sure am! A little late, but I had some last minute things to work on."

"Well, want to," Ziva thought about the ride word, but she could find it. "Uh, elevator down with me?"

Abby's face was filled with laughter. 'Only Ziva..' she thought happily. "Are you trying to hit on me Officer David?" Abby said with a playful tone and a wag of her finger.

Ziva looked shocked and appalled all at once. "Don't be ridiculous! I would not.. hit you.. in the elevator, Abby."

"No, no. Silly Ziva, not _hit_ me. Hit _on _me. You know, like, flirting?"

The same look crossed Ziva's features once more. "Well.. I know I joked about the lesbian thing a few times with Tony.. but I guarantee Abby, I honestly do not go for women.."

Abby grinned, hitting the elevator button, down. "Too bad. But anyway, sure Ziva, I'll '_elevator down_' with you," she said with a grin.

Ziva stepped inside the elevator with Abby when the doors opened, and then just laughed. She couldn't help it. And when she thought about the question that rang through her head earlier while alone: Whether or not she'd do everything all over again? She would. But if she didn't keep it the same way, she wouldn't be sitting in this elevator right now with Abby.

She wouldn't have had any of her friends in NCIS.

"So, want to go have drinks, you alienistic killing machine, you?"

Ziva opened her mouth to speak but she was shocked as she looked at Abby.

"Hey.." Abby said defensively. "It's not my fault you mumble while thinking to yourself."

Ziva and Abby both laughed.

'_No.._' Ziva thought. '_I wouldn't change things for anything._'

**&**

**A/N: So.. There's not really a pairing in there. Unless you squint real hard past the Ziva/Abby friendship. But it's a first NCIS fiction, so.. I thought I'd go for neutral. Let me know what you think.**


End file.
